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Jamaican tourism minister speaks about increased tourism earnings

Published on : Saturday, November 18, 2017

Jamaica Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett said that the country witnessed gross foreign exchange earnings of US$2.34 billion for the first 10 months of the year, representing a 10.8 per cent increase over the corresponding period in 2016.

Due to such favourable figures, Jamaica is in a good position to reach the US$3-million mark for the year.

Minister Bartlett said, “So, we have two full months to go, and last year, the earnings for the entire year were US$2.56 billion. So… it is just possible, with a little more effort, in the month of December in particular, for us to make US$3 billion in earnings. That would be something very special, because we would break a new threshold.”

The Tourism Minister informed that the country is on its way to reach four million visitors for the “first time in our history (in) the first week of December”. He said that Jamaica continues to have record-breaking arrivals, welcoming 3.3 million visitors during the first nine months of the year, which represents an overall increase of 9.5 per cent.

He explained that several factors have led to the growth of tourism in the Island, citing the warmth of the Jamaican people, additional room capacity, and increased airlift.

The minister expressed confidence that Jamaica will become the number-one Caribbean destination for the British market.